Ted lighted his pocket electric searchlight and led the way. They walked
for some distance when they saw a gleam of light ahead, and a few
minutes later walked out of the cave into another valley, larger than
that which they had just left.
"Great Scott! Look at that," said Ted, pointing to where a large herd of
cattle was grazing.
"What?" asked Stella, who could see nothing unusual in a bunch of cattle
grazing in the valley.
"I believe they're ours."
Ted strode toward the cattle, which seemed to become uneasy at seeing a
man on foot, which range cattle will not tolerate.
"Don't go any closer, Ted," said Stella. "Wait until Bud goes back after
the horses."
"I just want to get a glimpse of the brand. By Jove, here's our lost
Circle S brand, I believe. But look at it. It has been altered."
"How?"
"See those two perpendicular lines drawn through the S, making the brand
Circle Dollar-mark. That's a most ingenious thing. It has been done with
a running iron. The fellow who stole our cattle has just changed it by
running a curved hot iron through the S.
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